NORTHBOROUGH – A Northborough man is looking for a living kidney donor.
Six years ago, Rama Rao Mukkamala, 72, was diagnosed with primary focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FGS). While he’s been managing the disease’s progression with the help of medication, his health has been in decline over the last six months. Both of Mukkamala’s kidneys are expected to fail, and he urgently needs a kidney transplant, according to his doctors.
Given the urgency of the situation, finding a living kidney donor is Mukkamala’s best option. In recent weeks, Mukkamala’s family has been searching throughout the area for suitable donors, but getting the word out has been challenging.
“We have very limited family here. I’m his daughter, I’m here, but everyone else is in India. Because we don’t have many relatives here, we’re looking outside of our community. Most of our social network is around the Indian community, and I’ve been trying to do that, but outreach needs to be widespread. You never know who will step up,” Mukkamala’s daughter, Shridevi, told the Community Advocate.
Time is of the essence.
“The sooner we can get it done, the better the outcome is going to be,” Shridevi said.
Mukkamala moved from India to the United States to watch his granddaughter grow up. It’s something he hopes to continue to be able to do in the future. In addition to spending time with family, he enjoys performing Indian classical music, eating, and watching cricket and soccer.
Although many have two healthy kidneys, people can live normal lives with just one. If you’re interested in donating your kidney to Mukkamala, please visit https://nkr.org/KXL243. Even if you choose not to donate, spreading the word about Mukkamala can be extremely helpful, his family said.